The Diocese of Belthangady was erected by the Papal Bull "CUM AMPLA", dated 24th April 1999, of HisHoliness Pope John Paul II as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Thalasserry. This diocese has been established for the Syro-Malabar Catholics of the three civil districts of Karnataka State, viz., Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada andUdupi. It took more than 50 years for the Syro-Malabar Catholics living in this area to become a Diocese. It has aprehistory.
In the middle of the 20th century there were lot of migrations from Southern Kerala to Northern Kerala, tothe southern parts of Karnataka and South Western parts of Tamil Nadu. The migration of Syro-MalabarCatholics to various parts of Karnataka, mainly Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Chickmagalur, Shimoga districts tookplace in 1950s. The migration to these areas were encouraged by the availability of agriculture land and theencouragement from the then Madras Government.The spiritual needs of these Syrian Catholics were met by the Latin Dioceses of Mangalore, Mysore,Chickmagaluru.The Diocese of Tellicherry was erected by the Bull 'Ad Christi Ecclesiam Regendaam' on 31st December1953 by His Holiness Pope Pius XII of happy memory, as a suffrogan of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, for theCatholics of Syro-Malabar Church migrated to Malabar from Travacore and Cochin states. Mar Sebastian. ..
Cardinal Mar George Alencherry
Most Rev. Lawrence Mukkuzhy